Creating new stories for praxis: navigations, narrations, neonarratives

This paper considers differing understandings about the role and praxis of studio-based research in the visual arts. This is my attempt to unpack this nexus and place it in a context of credibility for our field. Jill Kinnear (2000) makes the point that visual research deals with and intensifies elements of research and language that have always been part of the practice of an artist. Presented is a way to conceptualise and explain what we can do as researchers in the visual arts. I am recontextualizing notions of research, looking at the resemblances, the self-resemblances and the differences between traditional and visual research methods as a logic of necessity. I am investigating how we can decode and recode what we do in the language of appropriation and bricolage. In mapping the processes and territories, I am interested in the use of autobiography as a way to incorporate a deep sense of the intricate relationships of the meaning and actions of artistic practice and its embeddedness in cultural influences, personal experience and aspirations (Hawke 1996:35). This is a study that explores possible parameters for visual research, questioning in what sense is it the best way to understand our relationship with traditional research fields

Equal remuneration under the Fair Work Act 2009

The Commission’s Pay Equity Unit commissioned this research report to: assist parties to equal remuneration proceedings under Part 2-7 to engage in productive discussion and work towards greater consensus in relation to the proceedings; and inform potential parties about the matters they might be required to address and the type of evidence they might be required to bring as part of an equal remuneration proceeding. The report responds to those objectives in the following structure: setting the global scene, by describing the international labour standards on equal remuneration, providing international data on the GPG and summarising key elements of the approaches taken in selected overseas jurisdictions analysing the treatment of equal remuneration under the Fair Work Act; outlining the SACS case and explaining the various decisions given by the Fair Work Commission and its predecessors  reviewing available literature on how the GPG might be explained and assessed; and drawing on the research undertaken for the above purposes, outlining approaches which might usefully guide the conduct of future proceedings under Part 2-7 of the Fair Work Act The report also includes three appendices. The first two detail the development of equal remuneration regulation at the federal level (Appendix A) and under the State industrial systems (Appendix B). The third, Appendix C, provides an overview of the approaches taken in the European Union and ten selected countries—Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The report is the product of independent research by the authors, and the views it contains are those of the authors, not of the staff or Members of the Fair Work Commission

Heart failure nursing in Australia: Challenges, strengths, and opportunities

Australia has a land mass similar to the United States of America, supporting a population of just over 20 million, which is distributed predominantly across the coastal perimeter. The Australian society is rich in cultural diversity fostered by decades of migration. Both these factors present challenges for health care. First, because resources are scare in rural and remote regions, health outcomes are poorer in these regions, especially among indigenous populations. Second, the cultural diversity of Australians is a challenge to providing evidence-based treatment recommendations. In Australia, in parallel with international trends, there is a strong association between socioeconomic status, chronic conditions, and health outcomes

Urban grasslands support threatened water voles

Urbanisation is often linked with habitat loss and a reduction in species richness but some species may be able to adapt to urban environments. Water voles Arvicola amphibius, a rapidly declining species in the UK, have recently been recorded in isolated grassland habitats in Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city (human population 1.2 million). The aim of this study was to determine the distribution and habitat characteristics of water vole populations occupying these dry grasslands. Field work was undertaken from March to October 2014 in a 34 km2 study area located 3 km east of the city centre. Field sign transects recorded water vole presence in 21/65 (32%) and 19/62 (31%) surveyed sites in spring and autumn, respectively. Vole occupancy increased with distance from water and was greatest in parkland, followed by sites with rank vegetation and roadside habitats. Occupancy was lower where signs of predators were recorded but surprisingly occupancy was found to be greater in the most disturbed sites, perhaps linked to the fact that many of these sites were public parks containing suitable grassland. Sites occupied by water voles were classed as neutral grasslands with species composition dominated by two main species. The number of grassland sites occupied by water voles, especially within public areas suggests that careful management of these urban grassland habitats will benefit the conservation of this highly threatened species in the UK

Stock assessment of Australian pearl perch (Glaucosoma scapulare) with data to December 2019

Pearl perch, Glaucosoma scapulare, are endemic to sub-tropical offshore-waters along the east coast of Australia. Pearl perch form a single genetic stock in ocean waters between Rockhampton (23.20◦ S) in Queensland and Port Jackson (33.5◦ S) in New South Wales. The species live at least 25 years and have a maximum observed size of 75 cm total length. Sexual maturity is reached at 2–4 years of age (between 25 and 45 cm total length). This assessment builds on a previous assessment that estimated the stock was at 10–40% of unfished levels in 2014. This stock assessment includes updates to input data and methodology. This assessment used a single-sex, age-structured population model, fit to age and length data, constructed within the Stock Synthesis modelling framework. The assessment modelled the dynamics of the fishery across seven fishing sectors: 1) Queensland (Qld) charter line, 2) Qld commercial line, 3) Qld recreational, 4) New South Wales (NSW) charter line, 5) NSW commercial trap fishing, 6) NSW commercial line, and 7) NSW recreational. Sixteen scenarios were run, covering a range of modelling assumptions. Base case (Project Team recommended) results estimated spawning biomass to be 22% (14–46% range across scenarios) of unfished spawning biomass at the beginning of 2020

The ecology of the water vole (Arvicola amphibius) in grassland habitats in the City of Glasgow

The water vole, Arvicola amphibius, is a declining British species. Its range is limited to riparian margins along water courses and reed beds and they are considered to have strict habitat preferences. Unusual populations living in grassland habitats in the East End of Glasgow came to light in 2008. This behaviour is largely unrecorded and poorly understood in British populations although grassland populations, termed fossorial, are common in some regions of Europe. The aim of this project was to update current surveying methodology which focuses on riparian habitat, map the distribution of grassland water vole populations in the East End and investigate habitat preference. An area of 34km² was surveyed using stratified sampling methodology and 100m presence/absence transects based on the identification of field signs. A total of 65 sites were identified; 65 were surveyed in March-April and 62 repeat-surveyed in Sept-Oct 2014. Of these 21 were occupied by water voles in March-April and 19 occupied in Sept-Oct. Water vole distribution was concentrated along a 3km stretch of the M8 corridor and adjacent grassland patches. Distribution of occupied sites was linearly related to distance from the M8 corridor with 62% of occupied sites less than 1km distant. Logistic regression modelling revealed that habitat type and distance from riparian habitat were key indicators in grassland water vole distribution. The distribution of water voles was not related to distance from riparian habitat: sites between 0-150m and sites over 550m distant had equal likelihood of occupation. Only sites at the intermediate distance of 151-550m were less likely to be occupied. Six out of the 9 breeding colonies recorded were over 550m from riparian habitat and at a maximum distance of 1182m. Water vole occupation was associated with urban habitats with parkland being the preferred habitat type over road verges and rank grassland. Parkland was characterised by heavy management regimes, moderate to high disturbance and low botanical diversity. The occurrence of water voles was strongly associated with certain grass species, particularly Holcus lanatus and H. mollis which were the dominant grasses on 43% of all occupied sites and 67% of breeding sites. Holcus grasses were also associated with the park habitat type. The main predators of East End populations were fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the domestic cat (Felis catus). American mink (Neovison vison) were never recorded. Trapping transects allowed for capture-mark-recapture at two sites and the estimation of population size by population modelling in Program MARK. Population densities were estimated at up to156 water voles per hectare indicating grasslands are valuable habitat for water voles. Their ecological distinctiveness and high densities provide strong evidence that the East End is a key regional stronghold for water voles and that the populations of Glasgow are of national significance. The need for an urgent re-think of current species management guidelines, mitigation protocols and standard surveying methodology has been highlighted by this research

One-loop correction to heavy dark matter annihilation

We calculate the one-loop corrections to TeV-scale dark matter annihilation in a model where the dark matter is described by an SU(2)[subscript L] triplet of Majorana fermions, such as the wino. We use this framework to determine the high- and low-scale [bar over MS] matching coefficients at both the dark matter and weak boson mass scales at one loop. Part of this calculation has previously been performed in the literature numerically; we find our analytic result differs from the earlier work and discuss potential origins of this disagreement. Our result is used to extend the dark matter annihilation rate to next-to-leading logarithmic+O(α[subscript 2]) corrections (NLL[subscript ′]), which enables a precise determination of indirect detection signatures in present and upcoming experiments.United States. Dept. of Energy (Grants DE-SC00012567, DE-SC0013999, and DE-SC0011090)Simons Foundation (Investigator Grant 327942)American Australian Association (U.S.) (ConocoPhillips Fellowship

Chronic heart failure beyond city limits

INTRODUCTION: Chronic heart failure (CHF) develops in frail elderly individuals who have suffered an acute or sustained insult to the structural efficiency of the heart due to the presence of underlying heart disease and/or hypertension. It is also more common in individuals with disproportionately high levels of cardiac disease or its risk factors, for example lower socioeconomic status. As such, this epidemic is particularly significant for older people, males and Aboriginal people; groups who comprise a greater proportion of the population in rural and remote Australia. The aim of this study is to determine if the rates of CHF differ between urban and rural Australia. METHOD: CHF prevalence rates derived from well validated international CHF prevalence data were applied to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census data for 2001 and weighted to reflect the proportion of Aboriginal people in each geographical stratum. RESULTS: Australia wide, the estimated prevalence of CHF was 17.87 per 1000, ranging from 13.98/1000 in the Australian Capital Territory to 29.50/1000 in rural Northern Territory. Overall, CHF was more prevalent in rural and remote regions (19.84/1000) and large urban centres (19.01/1000) than in capital cities (16.94/1000) (p<0.001). High prevalence rates were also noted in the idyllic rural locations favoured by retirees. In Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory over 70% of the estimated individual cases were located in capital cities. In New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory the highest proportion of cases occurred outside capital cities. CONCLUSIONS: The main significance of these findings is that while a majority of heart failure may occur among people living in cities (because that is where most people live), a disproportionate number of cases occur among people living outside these cities (due to age and other socio-demographic risk factors) where services may be fewer and less accessible.R. A. Clark, S. McLennan, K. Eckert, A. Dawson, D. Wilkinson and S. Stewar